Hat-bodies



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IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR FBLTING HAT-BODIES.

SPECIFICATION. TO ALL WHOMIT MAY CONCERN:

' Be it known that I, JOB BLACKHAM, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings,and State of New York, haveinventedcertain new and useful improvementsin Machines for. Felting Hats, and I do hereby declare .that thefollowing is a full and exact descriptionithereof:

Many eiforts have been made to obtain the proper conditions in felting,or as it is 'technically termed A planking or hardening hats by the aidof machinery. My machine differs substantially in its construction andmode of operation from all previously known to me. I have felted asulii'ci'ent number of hats on it to know that it is practicallysuccessful.

My machine contains a bed of rollers, and is adapted to receive the hatsthereon at one end of the machine in a rolled-up condition, and todischarge them at the other en'd in nearly 'the same condition', exceptthat the.

material is felted and worked in thej interim so as to full and hardenthe stuif. It is adapted for the direct application of steam and waterto the hats during the operation of felting, and can, by increasing thelength and number of the rollers, treat a large number of lhats at thesame time.

I will first describe what I consider the best means of carrying out myinvention, and will afterwards designate the points which I believe to be new.- The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification.

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section on the line S S in iig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a plan view with a portion of the upper work removed to showthe rolls.

The figures represent but a small number of rolls, but it will beunderstood that they may beincreased in number as required. I believetwenty rolls arranged and operated as represented, each about fortyinches long and four or five inches in diameter, to givethebestconditions.

Similar letters 'of reference indicate like partsin both the figures.vThe tints are employed to aid in distinguishing parts and do not implymaterial. The material may be of the kinds used in the previous attemptsat adapting machinery to this purpose.

A is a rigid frame-work, B is a frame adapted to traverse laterallywithin A.

Rollers having swells thereon, formed and arranged as represented by b bb, are supported in the frame B, and are turned continuously all in thesame direction; and all with` equal speed. C Ais a presser grooved onits under side as indicated by c, and adapted to traverse backward andforwardv longitudinally of the machine. The hats are treated directlybetween-the bed of slowly revolving rollers B b, and the under surfaceof the grooved" presser C c. A1 is an inclined board to facilitatethefintroduction of the previously rolled-up hats. Az is an inclinedboard adapted to facilitate the delivery ofthehats after they have beentreated by the machine.

The hats are intended to be treated many times ,in succession, and to beopened and again rolled up at short i intervals as is practised inplanking by hand.,

The machine is actuated by a steam engine or other convenient power,not-represented, acting to give a rotary motion to the shaft D, mountedin bearings'ongthe framing A.

Eccentrics d1 d2, fixed on the shaft D by the aid of eccentric strapsand rods el e2, communicate the proper reciprocating motion to thepresser C, by taking hold of the cross-bar C1, which latter with thecorresponding cross-bar C2 are xed across the back of the presser C; andoverhang at each end as represented. I!"l I", Ste., are slotted leversmounted at the pointsf, 'and adapted to guide the presser C in itsreciprocations, by taking hold of the cross-bars C1 Cz immediatelyadjacent to the shoulders c1 without interfering with any verticalmotion to which it may be impelled. Grl G2 G3 Gr4 are springs whichmaybe coiled steel wire as represented, or may be composed of strips ofIndia rubber orfanalogous material, which are looped over theoverhanging endsy of the cross-bars C1 C2, and are connected to cords g,or analogous iexible parts passing under pulleys k, and wound around theshafts I I as represented. These shafts I I may be turned by a suitablewrench or other convenient I /device so asto wind up more o r less ofthe springs Gl, 8m., and thus vincrease or diminish their tension. Ateach revolution of the shaft D, the presser C c, traverses forward andbackward while the springs G1, die.J described, hold itV down u'pon thehats with more or less force according as the shafts I I are adjusted.

A belt, J, leads over the pulley da, on the shaft D, and communicates 'aslower rotary motion to thewheel b, which is keyed on a shaft 62,carrying a gear wheel b3, which meshes into the iirst of the train ofgearing b* b", and thus imparts a slow rotary motion-to the rollers b,all in the same direction as above premised.

The hats arevrolled up in the direction indicatedfby the heavy voluteline marked W. At each forward.

movement of the presser C, each hat is carried forward by the jointaction or; the presser anla rollers, notn tenoing tc move it forward..At each backward movement of the presser4 each-hat remains in therecess between two of the rollers b, simply turning, without movingeitherforward or backward, The motion of the rollers b tends to carryeach forward, but the motion of the presser in the opposite directiontends to work it backward. The speed of the movement of the presser isconsiderably greater than that of the surfaces of the rollers. Thistends to cause a movement of the hat backward; but is not suiicie'nt toactually induce such a movement. The v tendency to do so,tends to inducea veryntight rolling up of the hat,l and the hat is thus rolled tighterand tighter as the hat progresses through the machine. I ascribe muchimportance to this property of my machine. Each forward movement of thepresser C, in carrying the hat Iforward and changing its position,slightly unrolls the hat, but each backward movement "of the presserholds the hat in a V-shaped recess androlls it up again tighter thanbeforeV A connection K, leads from a crank d, on the end of the shaft D,to one arm` of the bell crank lever L1, which is pivoted at points Z1,to the framing A. rllhe revolution of the shaft D gives a reciprocating'motion to this lever. L2 is a similar lever pivoted on the point Handconnected by the rod K1 to the lever L1, so as to move in conformitytherewith. M2 are connections from the other arms of the levers L1- L,to the carriage B, which supports the rollers'b and their connectionsbefore described. At each revolution of the shaft D, the crank d* andthe connected mechanism give a reciprocating motion tothe carriage B andits connections; the motion being across the machine iu the directionparallel to the axes of the rollers b.

The action induced on the hats by the combination of the longitudinalreciprocating motion of the platform C c, with the continued rotarymotion of the rollers b, is suiiciently severe for the treatment of thehat bodies While they are in the soft state in the early stages of thehardening process, and it is therefore desirable that in being treatedat that stage each lot of hats be relieved from the cross-motion due tothe action of the levers L1, L2, and their. connections. I thereforeprovide for the disconnection of this latter mechanism and throw it ontof use at will. l

I e'ect this by removing the pin d5, which) is inserted through thecrank-pin d4, and slipping'the connection K oii` the latter, allowing itto remain idle. The positionof this `part is indicated/'in -dotted linesin figure 2. In this condition of the machine the hats are felted by thereciproca-tion of C c, and the rolling of b Iz, and rolled up andintroduced at one end of the machine as they are 'dropped out at theother end, and opened and re-rolled and again introduced as many timesas is required to induce the proper extent of the hardening operation.When they h ave been hardened to a`moderate vdegree by this mode oftreatment I then stop the machine, slip the connection K upon the crankd4, insert the pin d5, andagain start the machine, introducing andremoving the hats as before. In this new condition of the machine thehats are more severely treated by the comL bination of; thecross-motionof the rollers b'with the several' motions before described. It will beobserved that the belt J, and its connections, are adapted to impart theproper rotary motion to the several rollers b, in every position of thereciprocating carriage B. After the hats have been treated a suihcientnumber of times in this more severe manner they-will become fullyhardened. Toward theclose of the-operation the workmen mayv observe theprogress at eachunrolling and re-rolling of each hat, and may leave ontthose which are suiciently hardened until the whole of the lot iscompleted, and the .machine may then be changed back to the'simplecondition by-again removing the connection K from the crank d4, andcommence on another' lot of soft hatbodies.

I do not confine myself to the especial means representedof stopping andagain starting the cross-motion of the rollers b. Many well-knownmechanical devices may' besubstituted which will be obvious to goodmechanics. The employment of av'proper counter-,shaft with fast andloose -pulleys, or a suitable clutchas a means of stopping and startingthe cross-motion, will enable this to be effected without stopping theother parts of the machinery.

If the platform C', audits attachments, be made very heavy, it may benecessary, instead of increasing the load upon itself by the action ofthe springs Gr, to relax the force of these springs entirely, and toalso relieve the hats of a portion of the'weight of the presser and itsconnections. I can do this by introducing another series of springsacting in the opposite direction mountedyparallcl to thesprings G, or byintroducing suspending springs extending down from the ceiling of theapartment orfrom a suitable framing above, not represented.

I represents the lower end of a single spring made adjustable by turningtheshaft Q, to which itis connected and adapted to lift on the centre ofgravity -of the presser as nearly` aspossible. I have-.found such to besuccessfnl in practice. A

I propose in all cases to support a shallow 'tank of water, N, under thebed of rollers b, and to introduce therein steam pipes havingperforations or nozzles Irayon their upper sides, and connected toasteam boiler, not

represented, so'as to throw up jets of steam and water against andbetween the rollers b, to heat and wet the hats as the work proceeds.The water is applied in a more, highly heated.v` condition by these thanby any ordinary means, and the direct contact of the steam with the hatsI believe to be highly favorable' to the objecty sought. y l

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is as follows: I i i 1. I- claim thecombination and arrangement of the reciprocating presser C, with the bedof.` rollers b, so as to treat the hats by the surfaces vof Athe presserand the rollers, substantially as andfcr the purpose herein set forth.

2. I claim, in connection with the above, so proportioning the extentand velocity of the motion of the presser C, to the size andvelocity-:of rotation of the rollers b, that the'hats shalltighteninvthe roll and tend to stand and roll withonly a rotary motionduring a great portion of the return movement of the'part C, and

ams.

shall tend to advance to an extent equal to the diameter of one of therollers during each forward movement, substantially as and for thepurposeherein set forth.

3. I claim, in combination with the presserC, and rollers b, the springsGr 1, 2, 85e., or their equivalents, arranged as herein specified forinreasing the force with which the hat is treated, as and for thepurpose herein set forth.

4. I claim, in combination with the presser C, and rollers b, the shaftI, and cords g, or their equivalents arranged as specified forgraduating the effect of the force in holding down the presser C,substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

5. I claim the spring P, or its equivalent arranged to operate inopposition to the gravity of the presser C, so as to reduce the pressureon the hats, substantially as and for the purpose herein specied.

6. I claim the devices substantially as herein shown and described forputting into and out of action the lateral motion of the bed of rollersb.

- JOB W. BLACKHAM.

Witnesses:

C. W. DUFFY, D. L. Fannomr.

